news

Washington, DC – Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed Congresswoman Jennifer Wexton’s (D-VA) Korean American Divided Families National Registry Act, which aims to help Korean Americans reconnect with the families they left behind in North Korea decades ago in the wake of the Korean War. Wexton led the bipartisan legislation alongside Representative Michelle Steel (R-CA), which was passed by the House on the 74th anniversary of the start of the Korean War.

“I’m proud that the House has passed my bipartisan legislation with Rep. Steel to give Korean American families across the U.S. a chance to reconnect with their separated loved ones after more than seven decades,” said Rep. Wexton. “Thousands of Korean Americans have not seen or spoken with their relatives for most of their lives, and second- and third-generation Korean Americans know nothing but stories and heartbreak of their separated families. By advancing this legislation with broad bipartisan support, we’re giving those families hope.”

“Many Korean Americans continue to experience heartache from a lifetime of separation from relatives trapped in North Korea. Our family reunification bill will help families reconnect with relatives they haven’t seen since the Korean War – an opportunity they’ve tragically had to wait over 70 years for. 70 years is long enough, and many of these individuals are running out of time to see their loved ones. I’m honored to join Rep. Wexton in passing this long overdue legislation and urge the Senate to promptly take action to help these families,” said Rep. Steel.

The Divided Families National Registry Act would establish a data repository through the State Department of information about Korean American families and their separated relatives in North Korea, living and deceased, and encourage cooperation between the U.S. and North Korea to help facilitate reconnection opportunities either through travel or digitally. The registry is modeled off of similar efforts between South Korea and North Korea which have successfully brought together more than 44,000 families.

“Since beginning to work on this issue in 2016, two of the greatest challenges I have seen facing Korean American divided families have been a lack of a formal accounting mechanism or access to an official channel of reunions. For the first time ever, the Divided Families National Registry Act offers a tangible solution to these problems and provides an official pathway for reunions. In other words, if this bill were to become law, it would not only give hope for reconnection with their relatives in North Korea, but also a sense of safety and reassurance that they would be supported by the US government,” said Paul Lee, President of Divided Families USA.

“The challenges on the Korean Peninsula have never just been abstract foreign policy issues happening ‘over there’ – they have touched the lives of thousands of American families. By establishing a national registry of Korean American divided families, this bill makes it possible to lay the important groundwork to ensure we are prepared if and when reunions can be possible for Korean Americans who have been separated from their families in North Korea for far too long,” said Esther Im, Senior Peace and Security Policy Advisor at Foreign Policy for America.

Wexton participated in a bipartisan congressional delegation visit to South Korea including the Korean Demilitarized Zone in July 2022, where she saw firsthand some of the lasting consequences families have faced as a result of the war and displacement.

The full text of the Korean American Divided Families National Registry Act can be found here.

###